SECTION 1. Chapter 175 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after Section 225 the following section:-

(a) If a policy, contract, certificate, or agreement offered, issued, delivered, or renewed, whether or not in Massachusetts, that provides, backs up, reinsures, or funds, in whole or in part, life insurance, health insurance, annuities, accident insurance, long term care insurance, or disability insurance coverage for any Massachusetts resident contains a provision that reserves discretionary authority to the insurer, or an agent of the insurer, to determine eligibility for benefits or coverage, to interpret the terms of the policy, contract, certificate, or agreement, or to provide standards of interpretation or review that are inconsistent with the laws of this state, that provision is void and unenforceable.

(b) For purposes of this section, "renewed" means continued in force on or after the policy's anniversary date.

(c) For purposes of this section, the term "discretionary authority" means a policy provision that has the effect of conferring discretion on an insurer or other claim administrator to determine entitlement to benefits or interpret policy language that, in turn, could lead to a deferential standard of review by any reviewing court.

(d) Nothing in this section prohibits an insurer from including a provision in a contract that informs an insured that as part of its routine operations the insurer applies the terms of its contracts for making decisions, including making determinations regarding eligibility, receipt of benefits and claims, or explaining policies, procedures, and processes, so long as the provision could not give rise to a deferential standard of review by any reviewing court.

(e) The Commissioner of Insurance (“Commissioner”) shall not approve any health, life or disability policy for issuance or delivery in Massachusetts in any of the following circumstances:

If it includes a provision that reserves discretionary authority, as defined by Section 226, to the insurer, or an agent of the insurer, to determine eligibility for benefits or coverage or to interpret the terms of the policy; or if it provides standards of interpretation or review that are inconsistent with the laws of Massachusetts; or if it contains or incorporates by reference, where the incorporation is otherwise permissible, any inconsistent, ambiguous, or misleading clauses or exceptions and conditions that deceptively affect the risk purported to be assumed in the general coverage of the contract; or if it has any title, heading, or other indication of its provisions that is misleading; or if it is printed or otherwise reproduced in a manner that renders any provision of the form substantially illegible; or if it fails to conform in any respect with any law of Massachusetts.

(f) If any provision of this Section or its application to any person or circumstance is held to be illegal, invalid, or unenforceable, no other provisions or applications of this Section that can be given effect without the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision or application shall be affected; and to this end the provisions of this Section are severable.

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

Unsupported Bill Output Format

The document text is in an unsupported format to view in a browser.

Please use the "Download PDF" link if you wish to View/Print this document.